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- Airbus has won more orders than Boeing for five consecutive years.
- The European manufacturer made its mark in the US by leasing four A300s to Eastern Air Lines for free.
- The A320's revolutionary fly-by-wire design and the Boeing 737 Max groundings help boost Airbus.
Boeing was founded in 1916, just 13 years after the Wright brothers' first flight. It would be another half a century before Airbus came along.
Europe wanted to challenge America's aviation dominance by building its own company. The French, British, and German governments started planning in 1967 before Airbus was officially founded three years later.